tiasreads 's review for:

Parents Weekend: A Novel by Alex Finlay

3.0

emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Parents Weekend is the latest release from Alex Finlay, an auto-buy author for me. Five college students are scheduled to meet their parents for dinner during freshman year Parents Weekend, but none of them show up. Is it just college-kid antics or is something more sinister at play?

The answer is glaringly obvious from the beginning, but, inexplicably, the author expects us to pretend that it’s a huge mystery. There would’ve been a great deal of suspense to be had if Alex Finlay had just acknowledged what was going on and proceeded on the basis that we’re ‘in on it’ with him. Instead, he made a weird, uncharacteristically amateurish choice that ended up compromising any possible logic in the plot. I’ll suspend a lot of disbelief for a fun suspense/thriller, but not for a dumb one.

I rate this disappointing Parents Weekend 3 stars and I do not recommend it. If you want the real Alex Finlay, read the far superior If Something Happens to Me.